MABE Services & 2016 Legislative Priorities & Positions Presented to the House Ways and Means Committee January 21, 2016

MABE’s Mission MABE’s mission is to provide members with a strong collective voice, and to support local school board governance through professional development, advocacy and member services.

MABE Programs & Services Professional Development – MABE provides the skills and knowledge required for our members to become effective leaders. Advocacy – MABE represents all 24 local boards on legislative and regulatory matters before the General Assembly, State Board, and federal government. Legal and Policy Services – MABE provides legal assistance, including amicus briefs, and policy training and alerts. Insurance Programs – MABE manages two member owned Trusts, set up to handle Property/Casualty and Workers' Compensation Pooled Self-Insurance.

MABE’s 2016 Legislative Priorities MABE supports continued governance autonomy for local boards of education to set education policy and school budgets; and opposition to unfunded mandates; Supports full State funding for Maryland’s outstanding public schools; Supports robust State funding for school construction and renovation projects; and Supports sustained local government investments in education.

FY 2017 Budget & Education Funding Supports fully funding public education in FY 2017 State Budget, including the newly mandated Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI), the inflation factor, and other key programs to support Maryland’s standards-based school finance system. Supports legislation to establish a per pupil funding allocation for all prekindergarten students, including a 0.5 FTE for half-day students and 1.0 FTE for full-day students, without any off-setting reduction in compensatory education funding. Supports legislation to create a commission in 2016 to make legislative and funding recommendations in order to update and improve Maryland’s school finance system.

Funding Adequacy Study & the Future In 2014 MSDE contracted with national consultants to conduct a comprehensive education funding adequacy study. MSDE formed a “Cost of Adequacy of Education Funding in the State of Maryland Stakeholder Group.” MABE established a Committee on the Study of School Funding Adequacy. MABE issued a position paper, “Priorities and Perspectives on the Future of Public School Funding in Maryland,” and recommends creating a school finance commission in 2016.

FY 2017 Capital Budget Supports a state funding level of at least $350 million for school construction and renovation projects for FY 2017 to provide the State’s share of approved projects to build, renovate, and improve school facilities. Supports the pursuit of innovative policies maximize the capacity of state and local bonding authority in support of school facility project funding.

Curriculum & Assessments Supports local decision-making authority in developing curriculum and assessments, in conjunction with the State Board of Education. Supports adequate state funding to support any mandated assessment program, including the computer- based PARCC assessments and related technology costs. Supports a continued delay in using the new PARCC High School Assessments in English 10 and Algebra I as “high stakes” graduation requirement tests. Opposes efforts by the General Assembly to legislate curriculum or testing matters inconsistent with MABE’s legislative positions.

School Calendars & Schedules Opposes mandating a post-Labor Day start date because it would prevent school boards, parents and community stakeholders from developing a school calendar that meets the unique needs of each community. Supports maintaining and preserving local discretion in establishing school start- times and opposes mandating a statewide start-time.

Nonpublic School Funding - Vouchers Opposes private and parochial school vouchers, tuition tax credit programs, or other proposals that would threaten public school funding and public control over the use of public dollars. Opposes legislation mandating that public schools accommodate private or home schooled students in academic or extracurricular programs offered in the public schools. Supports strong public accountability measures for every public dollar spent, including public dollars dedicated or diverted to private and parochial schools.

Maintenance of Effort MABE Supports sustained local government investments in education. Supports the maintenance of effort law enacted in 2012 because it provides for a legally enforceable minimum amount of local funding, and allows for multiple exceptions and waivers. Opposes legislation to provide additional school budget control to local governments.

Student Health & Fitness Supports local board discretion to adopt policies and allocate resources to support improvements in student mental and physical health and fitness. Supports the construction of new school facilities with adequate space for physical education. Opposes the unfunded mandate for increased physical education instruction, including minimum minutes per week, without consideration of costs and space.

School Safety Supports local discretion to adopt programs and policies to maintain and improve school safety. Supports federal, State, and local government funding for local public school safety programs, and the wide array of mental health and public safety services provided by other public and private entities, which are essential to maintaining safe schools.

Employee Relations MABE does not believe that the scope of employee organization collective bargaining rights should be expanded to include education policy matters, and opposes a binding arbitration process to resolve either scope of bargaining or contract disputes. Supports preserving the authority and responsibility of the State Board and local boards, as opposed to the Public School Labor Relations Board (PSLRB), to establish educational policy in collaboration with all key stakeholders including parents, students, teachers, and the community.

Charter Schools MABE supports local authority over public schools, including public charter schools, and supported passage of the Public Charter School Act of 2003 because it was aligned with this principle. MABE supports much of the Charter School Improvement Act of 2015 for the same reason. MABE opposes legislation which would diminish the local board's role as chartering authority or otherwise weaken the law’s academic or fiscal accountability requirements.

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